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Are Medical Stocks Lagging DaVita (DVA) This Year?

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Investors interested in Medical stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. DaVita HealthCare (DVA - Free Report) is a stock that can certainly grab the attention of many investors, but do its recent returns compare favorably to the sector as a whole? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Medical sector should help us answer this question.

DaVita HealthCare is one of 1050 individual stocks in the Medical sector. Collectively, these companies sit at #4 in the Zacks Sector Rank. The Zacks Sector Rank considers 16 different sector groups. The average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups is measured, and the sectors are listed from best to worst.

The Zacks Rank is a successful stock-picking model that emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions. The system highlights a number of different stocks that could be poised to outperform the broader market over the next one to three months. DaVita HealthCare is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DVA's full-year earnings has moved 12.1% higher within the past quarter. This signals that analyst sentiment is improving and the stock's earnings outlook is more positive.

Our latest available data shows that DVA has returned about 30.7% since the start of the calendar year. In comparison, Medical companies have returned an average of 2.6%. This means that DaVita HealthCare is outperforming the sector as a whole this year.

Another stock in the Medical sector, Alcon (ALC - Free Report) , has outperformed the sector so far this year. The stock's year-to-date return is 2.9%.

The consensus estimate for Alcon's current year EPS has increased 1.1% over the past three months. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Breaking things down more, DaVita HealthCare is a member of the Medical - Outpatient and Home Healthcare industry, which includes 19 individual companies and currently sits at #80 in the Zacks Industry Rank. This group has gained an average of 5.2% so far this year, so DVA is performing better in this area.

On the other hand, Alcon belongs to the Medical - Instruments industry. This 92-stock industry is currently ranked #87. The industry has moved +5.2% year to date.

DaVita HealthCare and Alcon could continue their solid performance, so investors interested in Medical stocks should continue to pay close attention to these stocks.


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